The Dangers of Mixing the Effects of Alcohol and Cocaine Use

The culture of substance use and abuse is rapidly escalating, from mere experimentation to the chronic mixing of combo drugs. One of the most dangerous of these combinations is alcohol use and cocaine use.

Even when ingested on its own, cocaine is already considered a dangerous drug, attributed to the leading cause of most emergency room cases of drug abuse, as reported by the Drug Abuse Warning Network.

Effects of Cocaine Use and Alcohol Use on the Liver

One particular danger of the effect of alcohol and cocaine use together is that they are not separately processed by the liver. Instead, these two substances combine to create a third toxic chemical known as cocaethylene. The continuing use of a combination of alcohol and cocaine results in a considerable amount of the cocaethylene toxin building up in the liver. The combination of the detrimental effects of alcohol on the liver, along with the results of cocaethylene in the system is a contributor to massive liver failure.

Increased Tolerance = Higher Rates of Substance Abuse

Frequent cocaine use will inadvertently lead to tolerance in most chronic users; this is not a good thing. Cocaine, in itself, is already a highly addictive drug. Combining it with alcohol intensifies and prolongs the effects of cocaine, and because of this, the tolerance of a user may also be affected. The tendency would be to seek the same experience. However, for most drug users, the first so-called “high” may never be repeated, so no matter how great the amount of drugs taken, it will never be enough. Therefore escalating the amount is a vain and very dangerous practice.

Counteracting Effects Can Heighten the Need for Alcohol

The effects of alcohol and the effects of cocaine on an individual are typically counteractive. One boosts up while the other one slows a person down. In a typical scenario where these two substances are ingested in combination, cocaine can serve as the booster needed to become sober. For some users, this may only mean that they need more alcohol in their system, and increasing the number of alcoholic drinks may only end in a vicious and hazardous cycle of boosting and slowing down.

Effects of Alcohol and Cocaine: Hard on the Heart

The effects of cocaine and alcohol in combination have also been pinpointed as one of the causes of heart complications in users. In fact, researches have shown that users who are still in their thirties or forties have suffered heart attacks due to exposure to this precarious combination of substances. Other serious complications include heart palpitations, with numbers of cases still on the increase.

Substance Use and Abuse and Social Problems

Aside from the negative and destructive physiological and physical problems induced by cocaine use coupled with alcohol, social problems have also been attributed to this deadly combination of substances. The effects of alcohol include the lessening of an individual’s inhibitions, as well as the impairment of sound judgment in most circumstances, including social situations.

As for cocaine use, the user can experience feelings of great anxiety and restlessness. Ingesting these two substances at the same time creates a contradictory state that has led to cases of violence and even risky sexual behavior among youth. Be warned: the effects of alcohol and the effects of cocaine do not partner well in any situation.

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Help for the Cocaine Addict

While cocaine is a very strong stimulant drug and one of the hardest to come off of; it can be done and sobriety is achieved daily by thousands of cocaine addicts all over the world.

Going to rehab is a must, this is not a drug one can just stop taking and stay clean.

It can be heartbreaking to try and try and fail and fail. That is why finding a program that addresses the issues of cocaine addiction and keeps the addict long enough to get him stably on his feet, is so important.

We know programs that can do this - so call us now.

The ultimate options for Cocaine Addicts come down to:

1. Incarceration

2. Death

3. Sobriety

There is no nice way to say it. Take a stand for life and do something now.